Old Haunts
by kausingkayn
Summary: *Sequel to Protectors Of Past* An old acquaintance of Eliot's is back, bent on hurting the man in every way possible, including going after his girlfriend. OC/Eliot Whumpage
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I am really cranking these things out, aren't I? This is the sequel to Protectors Of Past, which was the sequel to One Day At A Time. You don't really need to read them first, but I would suggest reading at least Protectors Of Past. Rated T for language and violence and suggestive language.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Leverage, (inset funny something here.) But I don't.**

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Lindsey sat down on an empty barstool; glad to of found a few moments of peace. The night was hectic. It was the last weekend before the college started its fall semester, and all the college students had chosen tonight as the night to celebrate their last few days of freedom. Lindsey had been called in to work the club, along with several other waitresses who would have normally had the night off. There was double the number of staff, but double the number of guests.

The music was loud, and the people were even louder. Lindsey had been carrying drinks and glasses back and forth from the kitchen all night. It was nearing midnight, and the partying had shown no sign of slowing down. After refilling table four's drinks for the fifth time, she had been able to find an empty barstool and sit down, trying to grab a moment or two of peace.

It was then that Lindsey noticed the woman. She was standing in the corner of the room, just staring at Lindsey. No drink in hand, no man at her side. Just staring. Lindsey had a fleeting thought to call one of the bouncers who was on duty that night to go and scare the woman away, but then the forger thought better of it. The strange woman could be a client. Lindsey stood up from the barstool and made her way through the mobs of people. As she got closer, she noticed more things about this mysterious guest. The woman had long black hair, and her eyes were hardened, something you would expect from an experienced criminal. Lindsey approached the woman and gave her a small smile. "Can I help you?"

The woman looked Lindsey once over, before replying, her voice hard, but holding traces of softness lost long ago. "Heard that Myanmar was pretty nice this time of year."

Lindsey's small grin grew into a large smile. A customer. She had several different lines that people used when they came not for the booze, but her merchandise. Myanmar was one of them. It seemed random, but Lindsey had chosen that particular word because it was the place where one of Eliot's jobs had taken place. It was the first one he talked to her about.

"Follow me." Lindsey tilted her head in the direction of the bar and turned, once again fighting her way through the crowds. The woman followed closely behind. Soon, they reached the bar area. Lindsey squeezed behind the counter to a locked door, which she unlocked using a key pulled from her pocket. Lindsey then slipped inside, letting the door open only long enough so that her black-haired customer could enter as well. With the door closed, the music and noise was muted, letting Lindsey hear herself think the first time that night. She flicked on the lights then walked toward her small desk. At least, it was suppose to be a desk. In reality, it was just a large table, which Lindsey had decorated with important-looking papers.

"So, what can I do you for?" Lindsey asked, her back still facing the woman. The forger heard a soft click, and froze. That sound was not something she heard often, but the few times she had heard it were burned into her head to the point of her not being able to forget. Lindsey slowly raised her hands above her head and turned to face the woman, frantically trying to recall some of the self-defense lessons that Eliot had tried to teach her. However, her mind went blank when she came face to face with the barrel of a nine-millimeter handgun.

"I'm looking for someone you know. He's quite infamous, actually."

"R-really?" Lindsey tried to answer in a sarcastic tone, but was unable to keep the fear out of her voice.

The woman nodded. "Eliot Spencer. You heard of him?"

The wide-eyed look that Lindsey gave the woman was more than enough to know the answer. The black-haired woman gave an evil grin, and then smashed the butt of the gun against Lindsey's skull, causing her to crumple to the floor. The mysterious woman huffed then leaned down, taking Lindsey by the wrists and dragging her to the door. She had work to do.

"_I have enemies."_

"_I know." Lindsey muttered, rolling over in the bed in order to look Eliot in the eyes. "You think I don't know that?"_

_Eliot sighed and ran his hands through his hair before placing them behind his head, his eyes aimed toward the ceiling. "That's not what I meant."_

_Lindsey knew exactly what Eliot had meant in his little sentence. However, she was stubborn, and wanted to hear them out loud. "Then tell me."_

_Eliot frowned. Lindsey sure did like to make things really uncomfortable. "I mean that I have people that are trying to track me down to carry out their revenge. These people would stop at nothing to hurt me. Which includes going after people that I care about."_

_Lindsey tried to make eye contact with the hitter, but he refused. So, the woman just sighed and started to trace imaginary figures on his bare chest. "I wont tell anyone anything, Eliot. You know that."_

_A pained look shot through Eliot's eyes, and he sat up in the bed, pulling away from Lindsey's touch. "You think that's all I care about? You not spilling information about me? These people can hurt you, Lin. Hurt you in ways that you could never imagine."_

_Lindsey's screwed her eyes shut. She knew that the day would come when someone would come knocking at her door asking about Eliot Spencer. She knew the man was trouble the first time she laid eyes on him in Venice when he commissioned her to make that little golden monkey statue. And the first time they had gone on a real date, Lindsey had found herself standing by her front door, weighing the good against the bad reasons to get involved with a man like Eliot Spencer. And she had found that the good outweighed the bad, and she was willing to stick to it. "I figured that out the first time I saw you."_

_Eliot smirked before returning to his serious mode. "I just want you to promise me something, ok?"_

_Lindsey nodded, wondering if she was going to regret agreeing to something before knowing what it was._

"_You're life is more important than any information that anyone would want about me. Give them whatever they want about me, I can deal with that. What I can't deal with is you dieing because of me."_

_Lindsey lay in silence for a few moments, digesting Eliot's words. Basically, he had just told her that she should rat him out if anyone tried to find him through her. Lindsey slowly nodded her head. She would tell him that she agreed, but it didn't mean she had to do it. The street that Eliot was heading down went both ways. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she knew that it was her fault that Eliot was found dead on the side of the road one day. "Promise."_

_They sealed it with a kiss._

Lindsey woke up slowly, her head pounding in her ears. She moved her head very slowly, so not to make the pounding worse. When she finally was able to get a good look around the room, she didn't like what she saw. It looked like the small spare room at the back of her apartment, but nothing was right. It had the same wallpaper and hardwood floors, but all of the furniture was gone. The only things in the room were her and a small tripod with a camera sitting on top of it, a red light staring at her.

Lindsey went to move, and found herself tied to a chair. Her hands were handcuffed to the arms of the chair, and her feet were handcuffed to the legs. She tried to move the chair, but it was screwed into the floor somehow. Her head filled with fear, Lindsey yelled out for help, even though she knew that no one would be coming. No one, at least, that would help her.

The door to the room squeaked as it opened, and the woman that assaulted her down in the bar entered the room, her arms crossed. Lindsey's eyes shot to the woman's hands, but she wasn't holding a gun any longer. In fact, it looked as if she was unarmed. The woman noticed how Lindsey was looking at her, and smirked. "No gun today."

'Today?' Lindsey became confused. How long had she been out?

"You have a very nice operation going on here, although you should be a little more paranoid about your guests. I thought that Eliot would have taught you that."

At the mention of Eliot's name, Lindsey strained at the cuffs, the metal biting into her skin. She gave a small cry of pain, and relaxed her hands. She was in deep trouble, and she knew it. All that Lindsey knew was that this woman wanted to know where Eliot was, and was willing to hurt her to get it. She remembered that promise she made to Eliot the first year that things had gotten serious. She had seen it as just a precaution, but now it was real. She stayed quite. Lindsey had no idea how real interrogation was supposed to work, but she watched enough movies to figure that staying silent was the best bet.

"I want you to call Spencer, I need to talk to him."

Lindsey shook her head, quickly abandoning the silent idea. "I don't have a way to contact him."

The woman scoffed and moved closer to Lindsey, watching as the small woman flinched. "Tell me the truth, it will make things a lot easier for the both of you."

Lindsey's mind raced. "He just shows up, I never know when." Well, that part was mostly true. She could remember only twice in the past five or six years that they had been together that Eliot had called ahead before coming. However, she did have a way to contact him. After getting in the car wreck and spending several days in a hospital last year, Eliot had decided to give Lindsey a number to contact his team in case anything happened again, or she needed to get in reach with him. She had memorized that number by heart, and hadn't written it down anywhere.

The woman clicked her tongue and slowly shook her head, loosing patience. She came within range of Lindsey and drew her hand back, slapping her hostage across the face. Lindsey's head flew sideways, but she didn't make a sound. The woman was impressed. Forgers normally don't have to deal with the more ugly side of life. Most people are scared to touch them because of what they could do with documents to make their lives miserable. Or, for this particular forger, they were scared to touch her because they knew that the world's greatest retrieval specialist would hunt them down and make them pay.

Yes, Eliot wouldn't be happy to know it, but word of him being connected with the forger had spread quickly after the fiasco with the drug smuggler last year. The important people in the underworld knew that the forger who went by the name of Minerva was protected. There were only a few people crazy enough to go after Lindsey after learning that.

"Now." The woman handed out a phone. "I want you to call Spencer."

Lindsey shook her head again, and the woman sighed. "Have it your way."

She turned and walked out of the room. She knew that she could hit the girl until she bled, but she wouldn't give away where the hitter was. But there was more than one way to interrogate someone. Mind tricks normally worked miracles, and the black-haired woman was an expert in those. People could, on average, last about a week in isolation in normal conditions. Less time that that when they are strapped upright to a chair.

**--Leverage--**

Eliot Spencer sat in Nate's living room, a bowl of freshly popped popcorn just in reach. He grabbed a handful and popped a piece in his mouth. He hung his arms around the back of the couch and leaned his head back, thoroughly bored. Nate had called the team to come in during the middle of the day. Sophie and he had found a new client, and wanted to brief everyone as soon as possible. It had been a few weeks since they had a chance to do a con, and everyone was raring to go.

Hardison entered the room, a bottle of half-drank orange soda in one hand, a slim laptop in the other. The hacker sat down in the single chair next to the couch and hooked up his laptop, bringing the large panel screens to life with the touch of the button. Eliot grunted a greeting to the man, but said nothing more.

The other three quickly joined them, and soon Nate made his way to his designated place in front of the screens. "Hardison, roll it."

The hacker nodded and clicked a few buttons on his laptop. Several large pictures popped up on the screens. Nate opened his mouth to begin to explain what the con the team was going to be doing entailed, when the landline phone rang. Nate paused and glanced at Hardison, who taped into the phone line before looking at the number that showed up on his screen. He shrugged and read out the number. "Don't know, man."

Eliot, however, after hearing the numbers, jumped up off the couch and ran to grab the phone before it went to voicemail. Nate's phone only rang three times instead of four for some reason. The others gave him a weird glance, wanting to know whom it was that was calling Eliot on Nathan's phone.

"That's Lindsey's number." He explained before pressing the on button. "Yeah."

There was a strange silence on the end of the phone, then Eliot could hear shallow breathing. "_H-hello? Eliot?_"

The hitter frowned. Something wasn't right. It was Lindsey's voice on the other end of the phone, but she sounded scared. Eliot placed his hand over the mouthpiece before gesturing to Hardison. "Trace it."

The hacker nodded and started to type away on his keyboard. Sophie shot Eliot a quizzical glance, but stayed silent. "Hey sweetheart, you alright? What's wrong."

"_D-don't come. Eliot, run! Get away! Hur--_"

There was a loud sound, and Lindsey stopped talking. Eliot froze, his eyes widening. The sound he had heard wasn't from a gun, and he could still hear some kind of breathing. Lindsey had to be still alive. She _had_ to be. The hitter rushed over to the couch and put the phone on loudspeaker before sitting it down on the coffee table. He shot a strained glance at Hardison, but the man only shook his head. Not yet. "Lin?"

"_Sorry, Spencer. Lindsey is unable to talk to you right now. Want me to take a message._"

To Nathan, Parker, Hardison, and Sophie, the voice was just another woman on the end of a phone. To Eliot, it was a nightmare becoming real. The man's face turned pale, and he curled his hands into fists, his body shaking with rage. "What the hell did you do to her!"

The sound of laughter came from the phone. "_Don't worry, she is still breathing. Although, I don't really get what you see in her. I thought that an infamous man like Eliot Spencer would have at least found a girl who had more…will._"

Eliot grit is teeth and growled, slamming him hands onto the table. "I thought you got your revenge, or am I the only one who remembers that?"

More laughter. "_Oh, I didn't forget. But this isn't about revenge, Spencer. I told you that I fulfilled that wish already._"

Suddenly, Hardison yelped. "Wow, I just lost total control of my computer!"

Not even seconds later the large panel screens on the wall turned black, only to flicker back on, this time with a different picture. The Leverage team was now viewing a live recording of Lindsey. The poor girl was strapped to a chair using rope that was bound to both her hands and her feet. She had no gag in her mouth, and her head was slumped forward in the chair, her eyes closed. At first glance she looked to be dead, but then Eliot noticed a small rise and fall of her chest. Lindsey's face was slightly covered by her blonde hair, but the hitter could still make out several small bruises. There were a few more running up and down her arms, which were bare.

If it was possible, Eliot turned even paler, his voice coming out at just over a whisper. "You bitch."

"_No need for insults._"

Eliot started to see red spots in front of his eyes. He stood up and started to pace. "What do you want?!"

"_You really haven't figured that out? I want you._"

The live feed disappeared from the screen, and the phone line went dead, a long, steady dial tone filling the air. Soon after, Hardison regained control of his computer. "I didn't get a location."

Eliot didn't hear him. He was just staring at the blank screen. "Doesn't matter. I know exactly where she is."

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**Yes, it's short. I know. But this was the perfect place for a chapter end, and I couldn't fit in anything else. Review! Let me know what you think! I will be posting the next chapter as soon as it is finished. More reviews = happier me = faster writing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Wow, another chapter in the same day, I must really love you guys. This chapter is for Meatball42, who had been following this whole series. Thanks so much! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Leverage, we would see all the men without shirts. :-P**

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"Hardison, get me on the first flight to Davenport."

The hacker said nothing about being bossed around, only got right to it, his fingers flying over the keys.

Eliot was pacing around the room, his hands clenching and unclenching as he was trying to think.

"Who was that?" Sophie asked.

"Doesn't matter!" Eliot snapped, causing Sophie to throw up her hands in defeat.

"Sophie's right, Eliot. If we are going to take this woman down, we need information." Nate spoke up. Eliot paused and turned to face Nate, poking his finger in the air toward the older man. "_We_ aren't doing anything. This is _my_ problem. _I'm_ going to fix it."

Nate frowned. "We're a team, teams help each other."

The other three nodded in agreement. They were all shocked about the phone call, and scared for the hitter. They had only met Lindsey once, last year when Eliot and she had gotten into a car wreck that landed Eliot in the hospital. They all liked her. Since then, Eliot would let slip small comments about the girl every once in a while, painting a pretty clear picture for the team. Eliot was in love with her, and she the same with him. That was a dangerous thing, especially for someone in his line of work, but no one said anything against the couple.

Eliot shook his head. "No. She wants me, and I am going to give it to her." His voice was almost a growl, sending shivers down everyone's spine.

"She sounded dangerous." Parker pointed out, joining Nate and Sophie's side of this irrational argument.

"You don't think I'm dangerous? Hardison! Where are those damn tickets!" Eliot yelled.

"I'm working as fast as I can, man. The next available flight is in four hours."

Eliot shook his head. "Not fast enough. She could be dead by then!"

Hardison frowned and typed some more. "There is one in forty-five minutes, but it's full."

Eliot growled. "Then make it un-full!"

"Eliot!" Nate yelled, trying to get the man's attention. "You need a plan. You can't just rush in there."

"You think I don't know that?" Eliot said, shooting a look toward Nate that was just daring him to say anything else. The man backed off, and seconds later Hardison jumped up and ran to Nate's printer, grabbing a ticket out of the tray before handing it to the hitter. Eliot snatched the paper out of Hardison's hand and ran to the door.

"Eliot." Nate called once more, causing the hitter to pause and turn to face his boss. "You know where to reach us."

The man gave a small smile and nodded in thanks before disappearing through the doorway.

_Lindsey looked up as the door to her apartment was opened, making way for Eliot to enter the room. He was dressed in his normal attire; blue jeans and a t-shirt accompanied by cowboy boots, a large belt, and his worn-out leather jacket. He had a small over-night bag slung over his back, causing Lindsey to smile. Seemed like he would be staying for a few days this time._

_Lindsey hadn't seen her lover for over six months, and the last time he had visited it hadn't been for very long. Even though is bag was small, Eliot could live off of almost nothing, and Lindsey had several changes of clothes for him hear. This would be a nice visit. She had never tried to go and find him, solely because she had no idea where he would be. Eliot's jobs took him all over the world, and Lindsey's made her stay put. Then, after Eliot had joined that team with Nathan Ford, she knew where he was, but she still couldn't visit. Neither of them wanted his team to know who she was._

_Lindsey hopped off of her couch and turned off the television before approaching the hitter. He was slipping the key to her apartment into his pocket, and dropping his bag onto the floor. He peeled off his leather jacket and flung it over the couch. "Miss me?"_

_Lindsey rolled her eyes. "You wish, cowboy."_

_Eliot grinned and captured her lips in a 'hello' kiss as soon as she came in range. Lindsey threaded one of her hands between his belt buckle and his jeans while placing the other on his chest. Eliot's hand snaked behind her head, pulling her in closer to deepen the kiss. Lindsey pulled back and grinned, reaching for his jacket. "Glad you showed up, now I don't have to cook."_

_Eliot snorted and walked into the kitchen to search the cupboards and fridge to see what he could make. Lindsey liked to keep her kitchen full in case of appearances like this. She could cook, but nowhere near as well as Eliot could. It was kind of funny that a man like him could dominate in the kitchen. Lindsey watched him for a few seconds then carried his coat to the small closet that was in the living room where she kept all her coats. She grabbed a hanger and placed his jacket on it before replacing it on the clothing rack. She went to join his in the kitchen when something stopped her. Lindsey didn't know why, but she started to go through his pockets. She found a few bills, his plane ticket, several other random things, and a folded piece of paper. She went to stick the paper back in his pocket when, against her better judgment, unfolded it. _

_Eliot was screwing the lids off of two bottles of beer when Lindsey stormed into the room, throwing a small piece of paper onto her counter. "Why do you have a woman's phone number in your pocket?"_

_Eliot stared at the paper, trying to figure out how Lindsey had gotten that. The small square had a ten-digit phone number along with the woman's name written underneath it. He had gotten it from a waitress at a small diner in Portland several days ago. He must have forgotten to take it out of his jacket. "Why are you looking through my jacket?"_

_Lindsey crossed her arms. "I shouldn't have to!"_

_Eliot frowned and snatched the paper before throwing it into the trash. "Nothing happened, okay! Are you happy?"_

_Lindsey's eyes looked like they were about to water up, and she sat on one of the small barstools located in front of her counter. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Nothing happened with this girl. You can't tell me that for the past four years, I am the only woman you have slept with."_

_Eliot opened his mouth to make a remark, but closed it, running a hand through his hair. Lindsey noticed this, and slowly blew out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. She had known since the beginning that they couldn't have a normal relationship. He was gone more than he was there. He would be away from her for weeks at a time, even months. Once he was gone for a whole year. She knew that she couldn't be the only one, and she had silently accepted that. She was the one he always came back to. She was the one that he loved. But it didn't make things feel any better. Lindsey had hoped that they would be able to continue going how they were going, both living separate lives that criss crossed every once in a while. She hoped that she would never have to see the Eliot Spencer that went out on jobs and traveled the world. But that little piece of paper changed all that. Lindsey felt naive and stupid, like a little girl. She felt her eyes start to sting, and knew that she was going to start to cry._

"_Come on, Lin. Don't do that. They were just flings. Nothing like what we have. Did you really think that it could just be you and me?"_

_Lindsey looked him in the eyes before shaking her head. "No."_

_This shocked Eliot. He took a step back and leaned against the wall. He wasn't expecting for Lindsey to have expected him to be so unfaithful to her. It hurt a little, but only a little, seeing that she had pegged him. He wanted to say that he was sorry and try to fix the whole thing right then. It was dangerous for them to get into fights when they never knew the next time they would see each other. But he couldn't say sorry, because he wasn't. So he settled for the next best thing. "I love you."_

_Lindsey gave a small smile at this, but didn't move, waiting for him to say more._

_Eliot noticed this. At first, he wasn't sure what she wanted, but when he thought it over, he figured it out. "Just you, no one else. You are the girl I always want to come home to."_

_Lindsey did start to cry then. She stood up and walked around the counter, Eliot meeting her halfway. She hugged him tightly, breathing in his scent. Eliot stroked her hair softly. They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other, for several minutes. Finally, Lindsey pulled back and wiped her eyes with her hand. They weren't ok. She would still feel upset about finally learning the truth about Eliot's other past times, but there was only two things she could do about it. Let him go, or forgive him. And Lindsey wasn't quite ready to let go. "If it makes you feel any better, you weren't the only one either."_

_She shot him a troublesome look before slipping out of the kitchen, leaving Eliot there, standing shocked in the middle of the floor, trying to figure out whether or not Lindsey was joking._

"_Seriously?" He called after her. "Lin?"_

A slick black motorcycle roared as it flew through the streets. It weaved in and out of the cars, not even stopping at red lights. The man's hair flapped around in his face, a helmet vacant from his head. If he had slowed down long enough for someone to get a good look at his face, they would see determination and anger, along with a glint in his eyes that would make you shrink away with fear.

Eliot had rented the motorcycle from the first store he saw after getting off of the plane. He paid the guy what he asked and took off. He was heading toward a place that he knew all to well. Lindsey's apartment. Eliot had recognized the wallpaper and the floorboards from the video, and knew that the woman had done that on purpose. She wanted for him to find her. Well, she was getting what she wanted.

Eliot pulled over in front of the bar that was Lindsey's cover job and jumped off of the motorcycle. He stopped himself from barging into the front door, remembering what Nate had told him. He needed a plan. He may not like guns, but the woman who was sure to be on the other side of that door did, and it wouldn't help Lindsey if he got shot trying to rescue her. So he paused just long enough for him to catch his breath and calm himself to the point where he became super-observant. Then, he pushed open the door to the bar.

It took him a few seconds to adapt to the semi-darkness, and what he saw was exactly what he was expecting. The back-haired woman sat in one of the chairs, staring intently at a computer screen. Her right hands was playing with some sort of metal device, Eliot had no idea what it was, but reminded himself to keep an eye on it. He stood right in front of the door, watching as the woman's head slowly turned upward until she caught his eyes with her own. "Hello Spencer. Been a while."

Eliot's right hand automatically began to rub his left wrist, remembering the last time he had seen her. It hadn't been pleasant. He had been handcuffed to a chain, which hung him several feet off the ground while he was electrocuted after becoming thoroughly wet from water being tossed on him. Good times.

"Let her go. You said you wanted me."

The woman laughed. "True. But then I decided that you weren't enough."

She stood up and started to walk closer, Eliot tensing as he watched her like a hawk. "I decided that I would give you something you never gave me. A choice."

She smirked, and Eliot found a slight sliver of fear starting to worm its way into his body. Not fear for himself, no, he could take her with one hand tied behind his back. The woman in front of him was trained to cause pain for people that were restrained. No, he was feeling fear for Lindsey. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You sent me to _jail._ I didn't have a choice. They dragged me away. I spent years in a dungeon!" She stopped walking, her face twisted in a snarl. Then, she relaxed, going back to her original posture. "But, I'm over that. My revenge was taken. Now, I am giving."

She smiled and waved the small device in front of his face. It was then that he realized what it was. It was a wireless detonator. Eliot froze. It was a slim metal cylinder with a red button on the top of it. The woman's finger teased him, drifting over the top of the button, watching as Eliot flinched every time she came close to pressing it. There was a crazed look in her eyes. "What happened to you?"

The woman laughed. "You happened, Spencer. You sent me to jail, showed me the dirty side of life. The truth. Now, I'm just teaching it to you as a thank you."

She smirked and walked back over to the table where the laptop sat. She looked at the screen before spinning it around so that Eliot could see what she could.

His eyes opened wide and Eliot growled. Before he could even think, his instincts kicked in. Eliot threw himself at the woman, aiming a punch at her head. She saw him coming and ducked, but was unable to avoid the knee that was heading toward her stomach. She groaned at the impact, the force causing her to stumble backwards until she was against the wall. Eliot advanced on her, using his hands to pin her shoulder to the wall. He leaned in close, breathing hard. "You bitch. Take it off!"

She just smirked before flicking her eyes over to the computer screen. On it was a view of Lindsey, looking just like she did when Eliot saw her on the Leverage screens back in Portland, with only one difference. There was a bomb strapped to her chest. Lindsey's eyes were wide and red, staring at the device. The digital screen was blank, showing that it hadn't been armed yet. Eliot glanced down at the small device in the woman's hand. "You care for her so much. You cared for me too once, remember?"

Eliot snarled, shaking her against the wall. "I never _cared_ for you like that, and I never will."

The woman just sighed, and brought up her hand that was free of detonators and slowly traced a line down his arm. "Oh well."

She moved lightning fast, totally catching Eliot off guard. She twisted her left arm free from his grasp and quickly shoved the detonator into his hand. She mashed his finger down on the button then let go.

Eliot backed up, staring at the device that was now in his hands. He took a glance over at the computer screen and saw the bomb light up with numbers that started to slowly count down. He went to turn his attention back to the black-haired woman, but was stopped when a fist collided with his face. He stumbled backwards and fell over a chair, desperately holding on to the trigger. He hit the floor with a thud and scrambled to stand up, only to be knocked down again as a high-heeled boot came in contact with his ribs. Eliot grunted and fell to the ground once more. With his free hand, he reached for the chair he had knocked over, but was stopped when the woman stomped down on his hand. He cried out in pain as the heel was twisted into his hand. She then backed off, allowing Eliot to get to his feet.

"I'm giving you a choice. The bomb on your lover's chest has two hours and counting until it goes off. If you let go of the detonator before the time is up, the bomb will go off. If the time runs out, the bomb will go off. Oh, and don't get too close, cause if the detonator and the bomb come into range, the bomb _will_ go off." The woman smirked as she walked toward the computer. She closed the top of it and placed it in a small black bag that was sitting behind a chair. She strapped the bag around her shoulders and started to walk to the door. "Some choice. Either way, she dies."

She stopped at the doorway and gave him a bright grin. "Welcome to life."

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**Don't hate me! Please! Hehe. Kind of a cliffhanger, but not as much as the next chapter will be. It isn't written, but I know exactly how it will end. Hmm, Eliot has a choice. What will he chose? Reviews would be loved!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Yes, this is the shortest chapter, but I couldn't add anything else. There will be one more after this. Wow, three chapters in one day! I am on a roll! Hope you enjoy. Lots of romantic and cheesy stuff going on in this chapter, just a warning.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a lot of things, least of all Leverage.**

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As soon as the woman walked out of the room, Eliot sprung into action. He raced around the back of the bar and got to the door which lead upstairs where Lindsey's apartment was. The whole time he kept glancing at the detonator in his hand, his thumb pressing down hard on the button. He couldn't let go, no matter what. There had to be a way out. There was always a way out. No such thing as impossible, right? He kept circulating these thoughts around his head as he climbed the stairs two at a time until he reached the top. Lindsey's door was directly in front of him. He pushed on the door to check if it was open or not. Luck was not with him, the door was sealed shut. He took two steps back and with a grunt brought his foot up and into the door, shooting the door off of its hinges. He quickly stepped over the piece of wood, his left hand held close to his chest. That was the hand that the woman had stepped on before saying her goodbyes. He would need to get it looked at, but that was low on his list of priorities.

He made straight to the guest bedroom at the back of the apartment, and hesitated before opening the door. He took one last glance at the detonator in his hand, and then opened the door.

Lindsey looked up from her position in the chair, her face full of fear. When he realized that the person who had come to see her wasn't that black-haired woman, she relaxed slightly. For a moment, she forgot about the bomb strapped around her chest. She forgot about her impending death. Because Eliot had come to save her. "Eliot!"

"Lin…" Eliot breathed, staring at the girl. She was a mess. Seeing her up close for the first time since she was captured worried him. She looked dirty and tired. Her wrists and ankles were raw, blood smeared around the red puffy skin. His eyes traveled to the bomb on her chest, which was quickly ticking away.

1:45:32

Eliot took a step forward, wanting to see how close he could get without setting off the bomb. He took two more steps then three, and froze when the small device started to beep. He took a step back and it became silent once more. Lindsey watched all of this with wide, scared eyes. "You can fix this, right?"

Eliot was silent.

"Eliot? You can fix this! You can save me! I…." She drifted off, the tears starting to roll down her cheeks. All Eliot wanted to do was to touch her, speak soothing words into her ears as he held her tight; rocking back and forth while telling her that everything was going to be ok. But he couldn't. He couldn't even bring himself to reassure her, because he had no plan of action that resulted in them surviving. Not one.

Eliot sunk to his knees, hitting the ground, his finger still pressing the cursed button. He shook his head, wishing he could say something, anything.

"This is it, then." Lindsey whispered.

Eliot looked up and managed to choke out an answer. "Yeah."

She shook her head. "No! no no no. There has to be something we can do. Can't you disarm it? Or, shoot it or something. There has to be a failsafe."

Eliot shook his head. He had run all those scenarios through his head. The woman had known what she was doing. Eliot had actually seen her do something like it before. Giving the captive two choices, making the person have the illusion of freedom, while no matter what they chose, the outcome would be the same. Eliot did have a choice. Would Lindsey die by her hands, or his?

"Lin, I need to tell you something." His voice was rough, his head staring at the floor so Lindsey couldn't see the grief written all over his face. Lindsey stayed silent.

"I love you. I'm _in_ love with you. And, and I keep telling myself that if I kept my distance that eventually I would stop feeling like that. It's dangerous in my line of work. But…but it didn't work, and I know now that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He added something as an afterthought. "No matter how short that may be."

Lindsey shook her head. "Don't, Eliot. Just don't. I don't want you reading me my last rights."

Eliot opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it.

"Hey, what about that Harrison guy? He's good with computers."

"Hardison. And no, it would take to long, already thought of that." Eliot spoke up. A short silence followed, neither of them really sure what to say.

"Can you tell me who that woman was?" Lindsey asked. She wanted to know who it was that killed her.

Eliot shook his head. "Doesn't matter who she is. I put her in jail, and she wanted her revenge."

Lindsey shook her head, her eyes still glistening from the tears. "Great. I'm going to die and you still wont tell me anything."

Eliot smirked. "I'm sorry."

"Why? How could you have prevented this?"

Eliot took a deep breath. "I could have killed her. I had a chance, a long time ago. But I didn't. I went soft."

Lindsey shook her head. "It's ok, Eliot. Really."

Eliot laughed at this, the sound starting in the back of his throat, and then tearing out into the open. "We are sitting here, talking like we are going to see tomorrow." He stared at the detonator in his hand. "Sometimes I think about how I am going to die."

Lindsey's eyes widened at this. "Eliot."

"Always thought I would be shot. Didn't imagine being blown up though."

"Eliot, you aren't staying." Lindsey started to shake her head strongly. She would have slammed her fist down if she could, but her movement was very limited at the moment.

Eliot looked up at Lindsey. "You aren't really in a good position to argue." He pointed out.

"Just cause I am going to die doesn't mean you have to! You know there is no way to stop this. I want you to leave. To go and not look back. I need you to move on, keep walking forward. I will _always_ love you, no matter what. And I don't believe in heaven or hell or any of that shit, but you can bet your ass that I will be watching you." Lindsey choked out, the words all running together into one fast sentence, but Eliot heard it all, he heard every single word. And he shook his head.

1:15:32

_Eliot entered Lindsey's apartment with two bags of Chinese food hanging from his one arm, a bottle of champagne in the other. He had just gotten in town a few days ago, and neither of them wanted to cook, and so takeout was chosen as the meal of the day. "Hope you like cat." He joked, closing the door behind him. Eliot was wearing a rare smile as he walked into the kitchen. His team had just taking down a real sleazy excuse for a human, and Lindsey had been _very_ excited to see him. He placed the bags on the counter and reached into a cupboard, searching for two champagne glasses. He found them, and opened the bottle of alcohol, pouring the liquid into both of the glasses. He picked up one glass per hand and made his way into the bedroom, where Lindsey had told him she would be waiting. He entered the room to see Lindsey sitting on the bed; her legs covered by the bed sheet, her top half covered by one of Eliot's dress shirts. He had no idea why, but she enjoyed those over just his regular t-shirts. _

"_Hey, sweetheart, I got some champagne….Lin?" He froze. Lindsey had an almost blank look on her face. She was holding a letter in her hands, staring at the words. She looked almost confused. Her eyebrows were knit together, and her fingers were locked in a death grip. Eliot turned around and placed the glasses on her dresser before walking quickly over to the bed, sliding under the covers next to her. He slung one arm around her. "What's wrong."_

_He tried to read the writing, but she closed the letter before he was able to get a glance. Lindsey turned her head toward Eliot, and spoke in a whisper. "My dad's dead."_

_It was then that she let him look at the letter. He read the words on the paper, his eyes widening as he realized who it was that had died. He had been listening to the radio in Lindsey's car on the way to get takeout, and he heard about the death of this man. "Your dad is Miles Huntington?"_

_Lindsey nodded mutely._

"_The Miles Huntington? As in Smithson Weapons Manufacturer and Contractor?" Eliot asked, awe in his voice. The man had the biggest weapons contract in the world. He supplied weapons not only for the US military, but for other countries as well. Half of the man's business was dealt through the black market. Eliot had actually worked a job for the man once. He was a criminal mastermind, to put it lightly. He knew the art of politics, and played the game of life very well. The man was rich, a playboy, and knew it._

_Eliot frowned. "Wait. I didn't know he had a daughter."_

_Lindsey rolled her eyes. "He did. I ran away when I was 18. I got tired of all the publicity and the rumors. All I wanted was to do what I did best. Forge stuff. Couldn't do that with a name like Miles Huntington hanging above my head."_

_She put the letter down on the bed and curled herself up in a ball, laying her head against Eliot's chest. The man stroked her cheek, trying to figure out what she was going through. He had hated his old man, but had still been sad when he heard of his death. _

"_I'm sorry, sweetheart." Eliot commented in his gentlemen like way, getting a smirk from Lindsey. The hitter still couldn't believe that she was in any way related to the billionaire. She looked nothing like him, and while she had his humor, there was nothing else that connected them. Lindsey would never break a contract she made with a client, while Miles would turn around and sell the contract to the highest bidder. Eliot wondered what Lindsey would have turned out like if she hadn't run away._

_"Lindsey isn't my real name." She spoke up out of the blue. Eliot smiled and shook his head. "You act like I didn't know that."_

_She frowned. "But Eliot Spencer is your real name."_

_He nodded. "Yeah. But I don't have any family left that needs protecting."_

_Lindsey was quite for a moment, contemplating this. "You want to know what it is?"_

_Eliot shook his head. "No. I fell in love with Lindsey, and that is who I am going to stay in love with. You change your name to get away from your past. I don't want to bring it back."_

_A comfortable silence floated around in the air, Lindsey silently thankful that Eliot hadn't answered yes to her question._

"_I'm going to go to his funeral." She said blandly. Eliot tried not to wince. He heard the emotion that was boiling under her surface. She was trying to remain neutral, trying to hide the feelings she had for her father. Eliot leaned down and kissed her hair. "Let it out."_

_Then Lindsey started to cry._

0:19:57

Eliot's thumb was cramping really bad. He was scared to switch fingers, in case he accidentally let go and made the bomb go off. He wanted as much time as possible before dieing. He needed more time. He knew that Retrieval Specialists died young, but it was one thing to hear about it, another thing to experience it.

But now, Eliot was faced with a choice. To let that black-haired bitch kill them, or do it himself. It seemed obvious when he laid it out like that, but he still wasn't sure if he could bring himself to letting go when he needed to.

"Lin…I don't think I can hold on much longer."

Lindsey nodded, understanding what he was saying. "Eliot."

The hitter looked up, latching his eyes onto Lindsey's. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

The man smiled. "Love you too, darlin'."

Their eyes still locked, Eliot brought his hand up, his fingers shaking from being held in such a strange position for an extended amount of time. He kept trying to tell his fingers to let go, but he couldn't find the will to do it.

Lindsey noticed this and gave a ghostly smile. "Just let go."

He let go.

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**Cliffhanger! Dun dun dun. **

**Reviews would be lovely, since they make me type faster, thus you find out what happens sooner. It is quite simple math, it seems.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Here you go! Thanks to all of my reviews and silent stalkers out there! I am getting a lot of alerts, but not a lot of reviews? Can someone fix that? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Leverage, Eliot would wear his earings, like on the Ice Man Job.**

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It had been hours since Eliot Spencer had walked out on his team. Nathan had already called their client, letting him know that they would be unable to complete his case at the moment due to an emergency in the family. The whole team had heard him when he used the F word, and had smiled sadly.

Just because they said they wouldn't help Eliot didn't mean that they wouldn't keep an eye on him. Hardison had started tracking the hitter via street cameras as soon as he had set foot out of the door. Whenever cameras failed to pick him up, Hardison used the tracker implanted in all of the team's cell phones. The hacker had been able to know the exact time that Eliot got off the plane, and put the camera feed up on the screens for the whole team to watch as he sped through the roads on his motorcycle. However, the feeds stopped when Eliot entered the small bar in Davenport. They concluded that that was where Lindsey must be held.

All they had left to do was wait. They all knew that if Eliot needed them, he would call them. The man may not like to ask for help, but in a situation like this one, pride would be one of the last things to be standing in the way.

They waited for two hours, taking turns staring at the screen, waiting for any moment. A black haired woman left the scene about ten minutes after Eliot entered, but she hid herself from the camera's in a very professional like way, and disappeared into a nearby house before Hardison was able to get an ID.

Then, the one thing happened that no one expected. The bar blew up.

It wasn't just a small explosion, either. It was a heart-wrenching, eye-popping mushroom cloud of an explosion. It took out not only the bar, but the buildings next to it, and the camera that Hardison was using to watch the place. There was a stunned silence. Everyone had seen the explosion, and they knew what it meant.

No one could have survived that.

**--Leverage--**

_20 minutes earlier_

0:18:36

Eliot's eyes had shut closed, waiting for the explosion that never happened. He waited several seconds, and then opened his eyes to the exact scene that he had closed them to only moments earlier. He blinked in surprise, and then shot into action. The best bet was that there was a fault in the wiring, which meant he had to get them out of there, and fast. He shot to his feet and rushed over to the chair, leaving the detonator lying on the ground. Lindsey's eyes were still closed, her lips moving silently, saying words that would never be heard. Eliot touched her gently, causing her eyes to open. "Eliot?"

He grunted in reply, fully focused on the handcuffs that bound Lindsey to the chair. The hitter grabbed a small ceramic knife out of his boot and cut a small line about three inches down from his palm. He grit his teeth, watching as the blood welled up along the line. He then pinched the skin right below the cut, watching as a small metal needle protruded from his arm, exiting through the cut. It was a small lock pick made specifically for handcuffs. It was thanks to the black-haired woman that he carried that around. Eliot knelt down beside the chair, starting to get to work on Lindsey's right handcuff. It was then that he noticed that the chair that Lindsey was sitting on was wooden, and was splintering badly. On closer inspection he saw that the bottom of her arms were red and swollen in anger. "What—what happened? Why aren't we dead?"

Eliot shrugged, a frustrated noise coming from the back of his throat as he noticed that at the rate he was going, he wouldn't be fast enough. He found himself wishing that Parker was there. That woman could pick a lock in six seconds. But Parker wasn't there, and neither was the rest of the team. He had blown them off, choosing to go into this alone. He glanced at the time, and kept working, willing the handcuff to unlock.

0:11:59

"Hurry!" Lindsey hissed, gaining an irritated look from Eliot. He was going as fast as he could, it wasn't his fault that he was so slow at picking locks. It wasn't in his resume. Plus, his left hand was starting to stiffen up, black and blue bruises already developing. A small click could be heard, and he grinned as he opened the handcuff, allowing Lindsey to slip her raw wrist out of the restraints. She sighed in pain and used her left hand, still handcuffed, to rub her wrist, wincing as the raw skin was touched. Eliot gave her a sympathetic look, and then quickly switched to her other hand. He started to work, flicking his head back to push his hair out of his eyes.

Another click, this one faster. He had it figured out now, and would be able to move must faster. Lindsey's other hand was now free, and she was rubbing both wrists now, tears springing to her eyes from the pain. It had been the first time in days that she was able to move her hands. Eliot swiftly moved to her foot, laying down flat on the ground. Lindsey didn't bother to interrupt him; she used her fingers to slowly feel around the bomb to her back. Lindsey remembered that when the woman strapped the bomb onto her, it had been quick, and she had heard a small click noise, like a buckle was being snapped. This meant that the bomb shouldn't be heard to get off. She smiled in triumph when she felt the shape of a buckle. She unsnapped it, the sound causing Eliot's head to snap up. His eyes grew wide when he saw that Lindsey was now holding the bomb in her hands. "What do you want to do with that?"

Eliot stood up and gently took the bomb from Lindsey. He placed it on the floor, then continued to work on Lindsey's handcuffs. She gave his a quizzical glance. "Why don't you just go and chuck it somewhere."

"Yeah. I want to be caught on tape running with a bomb." Sarcasm filled his voice, and Lindsey frowned, feeling stupid for not having thought of that. Eliot noticed this, and continued. "Plus, we want that psycho to think we are dead."

Lindsey nodded, remaining silent. Another click, and her foot was free. She flexed her foot experimentally, urging Eliot on. He emitted another grunt, and started to work on the last handcuff.

0:4:38

The final click.

Eliot quickly jumped up off the floor and took Lindsey's hands in his own, pulling her to her feet. She stood for about a second, then cried out as she collapsed, unable to support her weight. Her feet were swollen, red, and covered in dry blood. Several layers of the skin had been torn off from struggling against the cuffs. That, combined with being off her feet for several days, caused Lindsey to be unable to stand. She sat on the floor until Eliot picked her up again, this time leaning her against him. He whispered into her ear. "Come on, darlin,' you have to do this."

He slowly started toward the door, making it only a few steps until Lindsey collapsed again. This time he held on to her, supporting her completely. "I…I can't Eliot. It hurts so much…"

"I know, but we have to keep movin'." Eliot said desperately. She nodded minutely, and once again tried to get back on her feet. Pain was written all over her face, but she managed to start walking forward again. They made it out of the door, and started down the steps. Eliot whispered encouraging words to her, all the while trying to move a little faster. All he wanted to do was run as fast as he could. He was fighting his body. He knew that there was a slim chance that both of them would come out alive, especially moving this slow. But he wasn't about to leave Lindsey behind. They made it to the bottom of the steps and turned to go out the front door when Lindsey shook her head and pointed toward the back Eliot nodded in understanding and changed their course. There was a back way into and out of Lindsey's private business. Most of her customers didn't want to be caught on tape, and Eliot used the doorway himself sometimes. There were no cameras near the entrance.

They made it out of the door, having to hesitate twice because Lindsey lost her footing. The pain was starting to cause her vision to blur, and she knew that she would be unable to stay awake and alert soon. "Eliot….I have to stop…."

"We're almost there. Almost there." He muttered, focusing solely on getting as far away from the building as possible. They were out the door and making progress down the street. He felt as Lindsey lost more and more control, and started to rely on him more. He knew that she wouldn't be able to make it much more. Not like they had a choice, anyway. Soon the bomb would go off.

They made it across the streets, and Eliot kicked down the door to an empty building, pulling Lindsey inside. She collapsed onto the floor, and he barred to door shut again before getting down next to her. He wrapped his arms protectively around her and closed his eyes shut tight. This time, he knew that there would be an explosion. He just hoped that they were far enough away from the blast.

0:0:00

_Eliot looked up from the small bench located in the holding cell in the police station. He shouldn't have been there. The whole thing had been just one big mistake. He knew he shouldn't have taken the job to begin with. Yet he was a man with an ego, and a weak spot for pretty faces. He couldn't say no to something that was dealing with both. _

_He had been asked to do a trade for some woman who wanted an antique necklace. The guy who was originally going to do it bailed out, and he was hired at the last minute. There would be guns involved, and possible fighting if the other side decided to go back on their deal. What Eliot didn't know was that his side was preparing to go back on their deal as well. He had been caught in the middle, and was the last one standing when the local police had arrived. It was a case of being in the right place at the wrong time. They had been called in to investigate gun shot sounds heard by a nearby civilian. They arrested Eliot for being at the scene of the crime, and threw him in a holding cell while they ran his prints and did tests for gun residue on his hands. _

_The residue part of that situation didn't bother him in the slightest. He hadn't touched a gun, let alone shoot one. It was the fingerprints that were the problem. If they hit the database, red flags would be popping up everywhere, and before he knew it, he would be out of county jail and into Guantanimo. _

_There were several other men in the holding cell with him, but they quickly learned to keep their distance from Eliot. The men had an air of annoyance and looked like he was royally pissed off. Add that with the scraps that he had, and everyone decided to keep their distance. The hitter did not look like someone that they wanted to mess with._

_At the door to the holding cell, a policeman in uniform was unlocking the gate. Eliot felt a small bolt of fear run through him. They couldn't have gotten his fingerprints back that fast, could they? His heart rate sped up a bit as the jail man called the cover name that Eliot had given. "Jack Deal?"_

_Eliot nodded, and stood up, holding his arms out for the policeman to cuff him. Once his hands were secure, the man grabbed the hitter by the shoulder and starting to lead him through the door and down the hallway. Eliot's mind began to race, finding the quickest escape route and coming up with backup plans for backup plans. Then, he stopped in his tracks, causing the policeman to stumble. Standing at the front desk in skinny jeans and a tank top was the one person he never expected to see._

_Lindsey._

"_Yes sir. Again, I'm really sorry about this. It won't happen again. He's a sly little bitch." Lindsey's voice rang out just loud enough for Eliot to hear. He narrowed his eyes and grunted, and could have sworn that he saw her smile. He watched as she slid some documents across the table, then turned and grabbed onto his arm, her grip lax. _

"_I'll take him from here." She smiles at the man, and Eliot decides to put on a show, wrenching himself from her grasp so that she looses her balance slightly. She frowned at the blunder and tightened her grip on his arm. Lindsey nods at the front desk clerk one more before marching his out of the front of the police building and into a Nissan X-Terra that was sitting across the street. Once they were both in the car, she threw him a key to the handcuffs, and started up the car as he set himself free, all the while giggling to herself. "That was so much fun!"_

_Eliot snorts and rolls his eyes as he chucks the handcuffs into the back seat. Lindsey pulls out of the parking lot, the giggling finally calming down. "Do you have any idea how easy it is to forge a release form?"_

_Eliot sighed, shaking his head at Lindsey's antics. She calmed down after a little while, and thought a moment before shooting Eliot a look._

"_What?"_

"_No 'thank you for getting me out of that hellhole, Lindsey?' No, 'what could I ever do to repay you?' Nothing?"_

_Eliot just gives a short laugh. "I would have gotten out of there on my own, sweetheart."_

"_Yeah, leaving chaos and fire in your wake." Lindsey retorted._

_Eliot just huffed, and then leaned over, an evil grin on his face. He brushed back Lindsey's hair with his hand, then gently kissed her ear. Her breath caught, and Lindsey swerved, cursing under her breath. "Hey!"_

_Eliot chuckled. "You wanted a thank you."_

"_Yeah, _after_ we get out of the car."_

"_Should have said that." He pointed out._

_The ride lapsed into a comfortable silence. It had been a few months since they had seen each other, and it was nice that Lindsey had come after him for a change. It was always him making the long and uncomfortable trips to Davenport, never the other way around. "How'd ya know?"_

_Lindsey shrugged. "I have people."_

_Eliot narrowed his eyes. _

"_Fine! I have people connected to the police. When your fake ID popped up, I knew it was you. I made that one for you about a year ago. Good to know you use it."_

"_That's my girl."_

Lindsey woke up in a strange room. She felt disoriented, and went to sit up. She scooted her body closer to the head of the bed so she could lean against the headboard. When the room stopped spinning, she took a good look around. The place looked like an average hotel suite. There was a mini kitchen, along with a television and a door leading to another room. The wallpaper was sickly boring, as was the rug. Yup, definitely a hotel room.

Lindsey goes to bring her hand up to her head when her eyes widen in surprise. Her arms, all the way up to the elbow, are wrapped in white bandages starting at her wrists. No wonder her arms were so stiff. She went to move her legs, and pain shot through her, reminding her of why she was so beat up. Lindsey threw off the covers and saw that her ankles were wrapped as well, along with her calves. She groaned and leaned her head against the backboard. She felt weak, tired, and hungry, along with the throbbing feeling in her hands and feet.

The, she sat up straight, panic in her eyes. Where was Eliot? She turned around, and not seeing him, went to get out of bed. It was then that she noticed there was a small note sitting on the bedside table, Eliot's handwriting on it. She picked up the note and read it, a small smile coming to her face.

_Lin,_

_Food here sucks, ran out to get some decent stuff. Be back soon. Don't try to get out of bed, or I'll…. do something. Eliot._

_PS. There is a knife under the bed, just in case._

The note was so Eliot in every which way. She placed it down and leaned back in the bed. It seemed like she had just closed her eyes when there was a sound at the door. Lindsey's first instinct was to reach under the bed for the knife that Eliot left her, but thought better of it. She was turning into the hitter, paranoia and all. Seconds later the familiar brown mane peaked into the room, followed by the man it belonged to. He was carrying several shopping bags, and Lindsey noticed a smaller bag sticking out of the inside of his leather jacket.

The hitter looked a little worse for the wear. His left hand was bandaged, and there were several small cuts on his face, one of which had several stitches in it. Lindsey was pretty sure that she looked worse, though, and suddenly found herself dieing to look in the mirror. Eliot continued to make his way into the suite, placing the bags on the small counter. He glanced over at Lindsey while doing so, giving a worried frown at seeing her awake. Lindsey stuck her tongue out at him, and Eliot just shook his head before disappearing into the next room, only to reappear moments later, minus the small bag that had been stuck in his jacket. He walked over to the side of the bed and pulled up a chair, straddling the back of the seat and crossing his arms against the top of the chair.

"How ya feelin'?" He asked, his eyes moving automatically to the bandages going up her arms.

Lindsey gave a small smile and bent her elbow to show Eliot that she could move it. "Like I was just chained to a chair for several days."

"Wise ass." Eliot mumbled.

Lindsey snorted, this time giving him a truthful answer. "I'm sore, my ankle's hurt, I'm tired, and I'm hungry."

Eliot nodded, silently thanking her for being truthful. "Well, I can fix your hunger. The rest will take some time."

He stood up, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead before walking over to the counter where he had previously placed the grocery bags. He started to take out the food and placing it on the counter. Lindsey watched him the whole time. There was something off about how Eliot was acting, but she couldn't put a finger on it. She wanted to ask him about the small bag that he was hiding from her, but knew that if he didn't want to tell her, she would never know. So Lindsey stayed quiet. Soon, she felt her eyelids drooping, having nothing to busy her time with. Slowly, she started to loose focus, and slipped into sleep.

Eliot finished making two sandwiches shortly after Lindsey fell asleep. He brought one of the sandwiches and sat it on the nightstand next to her bed, and sat in the chair, munching on the other one that he made. He didn't want to wake Lindsey up, he knew that she needed her sleep.

Eliot took the last bite left of his sandwich and stood up, walking to the trashcan and throwing his plate into the bucket. He checked over his shoulder to make sure that Lindsey was still sleeping, and then walked into the second room of the suite, going directly toward the nightstand, where he pulled open the bottom drawer, taking out a small bag. He reached his hand inside, pulling out a small velvet box. Eliot sat down on the floor and opened the lid, looking intensely at the engagement ring, which twinkled back.

* * *

**Aw! So cute!**

**Ok, I know I said that this was the last chapter, and it was going to be, but I have enough story idea in my head for one more, so let me know if you want another chapter. If not, I can leave it at this.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Wow, this story has come so far. This is it, the last chapter. Hope it lives up to your expectations! Special thanks to al my reviewers, along with my silent stalkers. Love you guys! Also, I just bought/downloaded every single Christian Kane song that has ever existed, and was listening to them as I wrote this, so if you see some scenes that could relate to the songs, you will know why.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Leverage, I wouldn't make my viewers wait a whole week for a new episode.**

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This time, when she awoke, Lindsey was feeling a lot better. She was still hungry and sore, but the pain had dulled itself while she was asleep, and she felt like she could go for a few hours before becoming tired again. That, and the soreness had given away to stiffness. She yawned and glanced around the room, finding Eliot just in view through the doorway, chopping away at something like his life depended on it. Lindsey smiled at this, watching him as his arms went through the solid movements, the muscles flexing as he sliced through the item in question. He had taken off his shirt, and was working in his muscle shirt, like he normally does while in the kitchen. His hair was pulled back, the shorter pieces of hair eluding the elastic band's grip.

Shortly, however, Lindsey got bored at watching, and decided to get his attention. "Emerald!"

Eliot's head shot up at the sound, and gave an irritated glance at Lindsey before placing his knife down, wiping his hands on his shirt before picking up a few pieces of the food he had been chopping, popping one in his mouth before wandering over to the bedroom. "You 'ook be'er." He said through a mouthful of food.

Lindsey nodded. "Feel better too." She turned and noticed the sandwich that he had made her sitting on the nightstand. Just looking at it made her stomach growl, and she reached for it, falling over in bed as she stretched for the plate. Eliot stood back and watched in amusement as she dragged the plate onto her lap after sitting back up, and taking an enormous bit out of the sandwich. She chewed quickly and swallowed, pausing just long enough to get a breath before diving back in. Eliot just stood there, every once in a while throwing a small piece of food in his mouth as his bandaged hand figured the small box that was in his back pocket of his jeans.

Lindsey finished the sandwich, and, feeling better, decided to progress onto a physical challenge. She threw the covers off and swung her legs off the side of the bed. Eliot walked up close enough to act as support should she feel her legs give out. She rolled her eyes at Eliot's protective gesture and slowly got to her feet. Having second thoughts, she grabbed fast onto his arm, eliciting a chuckle from the man. She lightly slapped his bare arm as she gained her balance. She hesitantly let go of his arm, and then took a few steps away from the bed. Every step made her feet feel like they were on fire, and she was limping heavily on both feet. It made for an awkward site, but she didn't stop. Eliot shook his head as he watched her slowly limp over to the kitchen area of the suite. The girl had heart, and a lot more than that.

She made it to the counter, where she grabbed on with her hands and hoisted herself onto the surface, wincing as her wrists flexed painfully underneath the bandages. She smirked and kicked her legs like a little girl on a swing, and gave Eliot a smile that made him wonder why he was standing where he was and not over with Lindsey. He quickly fixed that problem, and soon he was facing the counter, his hands on either side of Lindsey's hips. She smirked and hung her arms around his neck, using her legs to straddle him. He drew her into a kiss, both enjoying the touch of the other. Lips moved against lips, fire lighting fire, until they both had to come up for air. Lindsey gave a ghost of a smile and leaned her forehead on Eliot's, tears starting to come to her eyes, her voice at a whisper. "It's gone. It's all gone."

It had finally hit her. When she was tied up in the chair, all she could think of was Eliot. Then, when they were getting away from the bomb, all she could think of was escape. When she was finally safe, she was too tired and shocked to let all the information come into focus. But now, now she could think, and it all fell into place.

That building was her life. It had everything in it materialistic that meant something too her. That apartment had so many memories, both of the good and bad variety. She had all of her current works for clients hidden in her secret office, along with several others that she had started just for herself. All of her clothes, her documents, anything that made her Lindsey, the girl next door; or Minerva, the woman whose pen truly was mightier than the sword. It was all gone. She had nothing left that defined who she was. It was stupid to have become so attached to one place, but Lindsey had that problem. She was the kind of person who would settle in for the long run.

"I know, sweetheart, I know." Eliot said back, letting her cry. He knew what it was like to loose everything that defined who you were. Only when it happened to him, he didn't have a shoulder to cry on.

She quickly finished, wiping her eyes with her bandages. She felt embarrassed at breaking down like that, and it showed as her cheeks heated up. "I…I'm sorry."

Eliot shook his head. "You shouldn't be."

She smirked, and pushed him away gently, giving herself enough room to jump down from the counter. She winced as her feet hit the floor, but managed to stay standing. She was still pinned to the counter, though, with nowhere to go but through Eliot. Lindsey smirked. "I don't' really want to sound dramatic, but all I have is the clothes on my back."

Eliot snorted, looking over those said clothes. They were filthy and had holes in them. Not the kinds of clothing you want to start a new life with. He shrugged, and took a deep breath, running over the words he wanted to say in his head before taking a small step back so he could look Lindsey in the eyes. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the small velvet box, presenting it to her with his good hand. "Well, you can start building with this."

She gave him a quizzical glance for show, but had an idea about what it could be. She had watched way to many romantic movies all those lonely nights. She pressed her lips together to try and suppress the grin that was slowly growing inside of her as she gently took the box, unsure of whether or not he wanted her to open it. He stayed silent, so she took that as a yes. She closed her eyes as she opened the box, then slowly peeked through her eyelids.

Nestled in the box was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

The ring was small, nothing fancy. But it totally spelled out the man in front of her. The band was thin and silver, a single, small diamond placed in the exact center of the band, twinkling in excitement. It was simple, too the point, and was worth only three worse. I Love you.

Lindsey let out a huge breath, bringing her hand to her mouth, her eyes tearing up once again. She shook her head in disbelief as she let out a small, happiness-filled laugh.

Eliot frowned, thinking he had done something wrong. "Don't you like it? The woman at the store wanted me to get something bigger, but…" He trailed off, thoroughly embarrassed.

Lindsey laughed even more at Eliot's discomfort. She continued to stare at the small ring in the box. "It's….perfect."

The hitter gave a small smile, running his hurt hand through his hair. "I, I know that we can't officially get married, since neither of us really exist. Plus, in my line of work, it's dangerous to be connected."

He paused, swallowing, finding his mouth dry due to nerves. Even though he knew it was unlikely, he was still scared that Lindsey would say no, want to continue on with their current relationship status until something happened to where both of them would move on. "But, after everything that happened in the past few days, I realized that, if I could, I would give it to you. The whole 'happy family' package.

"But I can't. So I hope you can settle for the next best thing. Because I realized something else. Lindsey, you are more than I could ever deserve." He paused, tears springing to his own eyes. Lindsey stood in total shock and awe as he got down on one knee. "I guess what I am tryin' to say is…will you move in with me?"

"Yes." Lindsey laughed, and nodded, her hands trembling as she took the ring out of the small box and slipped it onto her ring finger. She stared at it, a huge smile taking ownership of her face. Eliot stood up, and was engulfed in a huge hug as soon as he had gotten to his feet.

Lindsey sniffed into his shoulder, turning her head so her lips touched his ear. "One problem."

Eliot pulled back, a concerned look on his face. Lindsey held back a laugh. "I heard that there was this nasty gang of thieves in Portland that destroy anyone in their path."

Eliot glared at Lindsey for pulling his leg like that, and gave a small humph. "Darlin, I can promise you that if they even think about givin' you trouble, I will beat the shit out of every single one of them."

Lindsey snorted and pulled him into a kiss. Eliot responded back eagerly, deepening the kiss. She groaned, her fingers roaming to the edge of his shirt, tracing a line on his skin right above his belt. She smiled into his lips as she felt his respond, and pulled away, watching in amusement as he followed her head, trying to reconnect for another kiss. She placed her finger on his lips and giggled. "Can you wait ten minutes? I need a shower."

Eliot gave a small frown, but it quickly turned into a mischievous grin. "I don't know, you could slip."

Lindsey's eyes lit up. "You'll just have to join me then, and make sure I'm okay."

_It was a small, old town bar. There was a live band playing, their music loud and new and country. There weren't many people in the bar, but those who were had a reason to be there. This wasn't a place you went to in order to have fun, or meet someone new. This is where you went to forget. To drink and play pool and drink some more until you have to turn in your keys to the bartender. The place was old and dirty, and it smelled like lost hope. Eliot had a reason to be there, but it wasn't because of himself. No, he had his own way of forgetting, and it had nothing to do with drinking. He was there because of someone else._

_A woman, to be exact. It was always because of a woman. He wouldn't drag himself all the way to Davenport, Iowa for some guy, that was for sure. In fact, he wasn't even sure that the person he was looking for was here. His brown eyes quickly scanned the bar, sweeping the room, landing on each face for seconds before continuing on their way. Then, he saw his mark. The woman with the blonde hair sitting at the bar, her back turned to the hitter. Her shoulder were hunched, her hair cut short, brushing her shoulders. He walked up to the woman and sat next to her. She made no signal to let him know she knew he was there. The only movement was that of her hand as it brought the glass of whiskey to her lips._

_Eliot waved down the bartender. "I'll have what she's having."_

_The man behind the counter nodded, and soon a cup of liquid was sitting in front of Eliot. He raised the glass to his mouth and took a small sip, closing his eyes as the alcohol burned its way down his throat. "Good choice."_

"_Go to hell." She finally spoke. Her voice was cracked and layered in whiskey, a hint of anger in her voice. _

"_Now, that's no way to talk to a client, darlin." He said, taking another slow sip. She turned her head sharply, glaring at him. "Haven't you heard? I'm closed."_

_Eliot frowned. He had, in fact, heard that. It was the reason he had hunted her down. An almost legendary figure like Minerva suddenly disappeared, and people heard about it. "Well then, don't mind if I drink with you, huh?"_

_She shrugged. She wasn't stupid. She wouldn't be able to make Eliot leave. She just hoped he would finish up and leave her to her misery. She just needed one night to forget everything, and she didn't want anyone screwing that up._

_Eliot said nothing, just sat next to her, slowly sipping on his whiskey. It was good, the woman knew her drinks._

_Finally, she spoke. She couldn't take it, the silence. "Why are you here?"_

"_I need to get out of the country."_

_She snorted. "Then buy a plane ticket."_

"_I need documents._"_ He whispered, even though it wasn't necessary. _

"_Bullshit." She gave a sarcastic smile. "Eliot Spencer is worried about me, is that it?"_

_Eliot scoffed, but remained silent. She shook her head. "We went on two dates, and you start stalking me."_

"_I didn't stalk you." He growled, getting worked up over this whole battle of the words. The woman was naturally infuriating. Her place in Venice burned to the ground and she disappears for several months, and all she could do when he found her was give him grief. _

"_Right. Then I'll ask again. Why. Are. You. Here?"_

_He kissed her. He didn't think about it, or pause to consider the consequences. He just leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. He thought that would be it. He would get up and walk away. But nothing ever went to plan; he should have learned that lesson a long time ago. Because as soon as his lops grazed hers, he knew that it wouldn't be enough. That it would never be enough. So he kissed her again._

_This time it was more than a slight touch. It was just as gentle, his lips softly pressing against hers, waiting for her to respond, hoping that she didn't pull back. Then, seconds later, he felt her lips move against his, and all restraints were gone. He pressed harder against her, his tongue demanding entrance, which she gave him immediately. The whiskey on her lips was driving him crazy, and he moaned as her tongue started to lick the ends of his teeth, teasing him. He growled, and finally had to break for air. They sat there, on the barstools, both trying to catch their breath. "Wow."_

_Eliot gave a cocky smile at that, and took another sip of his whiskey, trying to wash her taste out of his mouth before he lost control. She tasted so good, so many flavors laced with whiskey electrifying his tongue. He didn't make the move to kiss her again, nor did she. He finished his drink, and stood up, digging into his pockets and leaving enough money for both of their drinks. "Well, Miss. Minerva. If you reconsider taking clients, I'm in the hotel down the street." He shot her a grin and started to walk away._

"_Lindsey." She called out after him, causing Eliot to turn around and give her a quizzical glance. "My name. It's Lindsey."_

"_Nice to meet you Lindsey." It was going to be a very good night._

Eliot kicked the door closed with his foot, both his hands being occupied by the huge bags full of supplies for Lindsey. He grunted and paused to get a better grip on the bags before heading into the small kitchen section, where Lindsey was sitting on one of the chairs, a small lamp beating down on the paper she was working on. She had a magnifying glass right under her eye and she was slowly stroking the paper with the pen in her hand, stopping only to get more ink on the end of the tip. She looked up from her work when Eliot entered the room, a smile breaking out on her face. "Perfect!"

She reached her bandaged hands outward in order to receive the packages, the small silver ring on her left hand ring finger glinting slightly as the light hit it. Eliot gave a ghost of a smile, and then handed over the bags. She nodded her thanks, then turned back to finish drawing, but not before handing him another list. "What the hell is this?"

Lindsey turned in her chair, her forehead rumpled. "I forgot about a few things."

Eliot opened and closed his mouth in disbelief, staring at the ten or twelve items that had been written on the list. "A _few?_ Darlin', there is more here than on the other two lists!"

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "Normally I get everything myself, but since I'm just a cripple for the moment, you will have to do."

Eliot snorted and shook his head, before walking over to the other kitchen chair, taking a seat on the empty seat. "I'll go later."

Lindsey nodded then turned her focus back to her work. Eliot sat there silent for a few moments, before deciding to speak once again. "What name you usin'?"

Lindsey looked up once again, a bit annoyed at being interrupted, but she smiled all the same. "I was thinking about Lindsey Spencer, unless that's taking things too fast."

Eliot froze at this. She wanted to use _his_ last name. He knew that he had just proposed to her not even 24 hours ago, but to hear it out loud was weird. Plus, he could have sworn that she understood that they couldn't legally get married.

Lindsey saw what she hoped was confusion, and made the move to explain. "I've forged marriage documents before, Eliot. If it's okay with you, I'd like to do ours."

Eliot choked a bit, hitting his chest before nodding. Lindsey frowned. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothin'. It's just….strange. To finally be 'settlin' down, in a sense."

Lindsey smiled and leaned over, giving his a short kiss before pulling back, playing with the ring on her finger as she stared at it, still not used to wearing it. "But it's a good kind of strange, right?"

He threw on one of his best smiles and nodded. "You bet, sweetheart."

Happy that Eliot agreed to let her make their marriage license, Lindsey turned and got back to work, focusing on finishing her ID. Eliot had bought them plane tickets for the next day to go back to Portland, and she needed them finished by then. "Oh! Have you called your team?"

Eliot's head went straight to the floor, the words all coming out in a mumble. "No, I forgot."

Lindsey looked flabbergasted. "You _forgot_ to tell your team that you're ok? After running out on them like that?"

Eliot narrowed his eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, I've been a bit busy!"

Lindsey gave a humph, then turned back to work.

**--Leverage--**

"My god, Eliot. You are such a stereotype it borders on scary."

"…huh?" Eliot said distractedly as he pulled his old Ford pickup truck into a parking spot located behind the apartment building that he lived in. Truthfully, it was less of an apartment building and more of a small hole in the wall place that no one would notice unless you were trying to get there. There were about three stories in the small complex, and when they walked inside, a gym took up the whole first floor. It wasn't a very elaborate place; there were some free weights, an old bow flex or two, plus some punching bags and a large floor mat where people could fight. Eliot waved to the man behind the counter, who waved back in return. Lindsey grabbed Eliot's hand in order to keep up with his fast pace. She was still unable to walk at a normal pace, and had to have him half-drag her to keep walking.

"I mean…" Lindsey paused as they got to the back of the gym. There was a door at the back, with stairs hidden behind it. Eliot had opened the door and started up the steps, stopping about halfway up the first flight to wait for Lindsey to catch up. "The old Ford, the country accent, living above a gym. You could do better than that."

Eliot shook his head and snorted. "You got a problem with my Ford?"

"No, but I like your Ducati better." A smile.

Eventually, they made it up to Eliot's apartment. It was located on the third floor and was against the opposite end of the hall, all the way across from the stairs. Eliot had done that on purpose. In case anyone found out that this was where he lived, he would have plenty of time to get out, and the bad guys would really have to look for him. At least, that is what he told Lindsey, but she thought it was more because he enjoyed being alone.

He dug into his pocket for the key to his place, and stuck it in the door, jiggling it for a moment as he waited for the tumblers to fall into place. A small click sounded, and he pushed on the door. It swung open, and Lindsey got a good view of Eliot's apartment for the first time. She couldn't help but laugh. The whole place looked like it had barely been touched. When she walked through the door, she was standing in the living room, which connected with the kitchen. There were two doors leading out from the room. One was a small closet, and the other led into a small bedroom and bathroom. Simply put, it was an efficiency apartment. Even the bed was small, only twin sized. When Lindsey saw this, she shook her head. "This will never do."

She then walked into the kitchen and proceeded in opening every single cabinet, and was not surprised at all to see every single one of them filled to the brim with food. The fridge was the same, along with housing some beer and several cans of orange soda. Lindsey shot him a strange look about that last one, but Eliot just shrugged. She stood up and walked over to Eliot, her right hand playing with the ring on her left finger the whole time. "I thought you were joking when you said you didn't own a television."

"I ain't a joking man, darlin." Eliot stated. Then, his brows knitted together and he cocked his head sideways, as if he was trying to listen to something. Then, he grabbed Lindsey and dragged her behind him before reaching down into his boots and withdrawing a knife. "Someone's here."

He took a few steps, pausing after each one to listen some more. His body was tense, a look of concentration plastered on his face. Lindsey wanted to say something, but smartly remained silent. Then, the silence was broken.

A human-shaped blob fell from somewhere above Eliot, landing squarely on the hitter. He didn't have enough time to react, and grunted when that person latched onto his back, their slender pale arms wrapping around his neck, their legs securing themselves around his waist. Eliot had dropped the knife, so he focused on getting this mysterious intruder off of him. He grabbed their arms and twisted them outward before flipping the person off of his back. They landed in front of him, a dull thud sounding through the room as their feet hit the ground. Both intruder and hitter regained their balance and faced each other, their stances tense. Then, the intruder started to laugh, and ran into Eliot. However, the hitter, instead of fighting back, stood his ground, a puzzled look on his face. "Parker?"

The blonde thief hugged Eliot so tight that he had to pry her off of him. Lindsey watched all this against the wall, relaxing when she too realized the thief. They had met once before about a year ago when Eliot had been in a car accident after trying to get some money for her.

"You're alive!" Parker backed up, her feet once more planted firmly on the ground. "We saw the building blow up! It would have been a beautiful sight, except that you were inside…but you're not dead!" A suspicious look crossed the woman's face, and she took a hesitant step forward before poking Eliot firmly in the arm, then grabbing his hand, listening for a pulse.

"I'm not dead, Parker." The man growled, yanking his hand from her grasp. "What the hell are you doing at my house?"

The thief paused at this, her head dropping down, her eyes staring at the floor as she shuffled her feet. "Uh…"

"What?"

"I came to get Mr. Tibbles." Parker finally whispered. Eliot just stood there, his mouth hanging open. Lindsey started to laugh, causing the thief to look at her and give a small wave. Lindsey smiled and waved back.

"Well, you were dead, and I spent good money on Mr. Tibbles, and he would have just ended up in a box…and he's claustrophobic."

"Seriously?" Eliot asked in disbelief. "I die, and the only thing you care about is that damn rabbit?"

"Hey!" Parker yelled.

Lindsey decided that enough was enough and stepped in before they started fighting again. "He's sorry for not calling and telling you he wasn't dead."

The thief nodded, grinning hugely as she stared at Eliot, before her eyes grew wide. "Oh! I have to tell the rest of the team!" She went to reach in her pocket to pull out a cell phone, but stopped. "Hey, everyone is over at Nate's, let's go!"

Eliot opened his mouth to disagree, but Lindsey beat him to it. "That would be great! I always wanted to see where Eliot works."

And it was settled.

**--Leverage--**

Parker had called ahead to make sure that everyone was there. She didn't tell them the reason for the emergency meeting, but no one questioned the thief. She was Parker, after all. All three of them piled into Eliot's two-seat pickup and drove the five-minute drive to Nate's place, which doubled as their office.

They made the drive in pretty good time, and Lindsey snorted when she noticed that they were heading toward an apartment that was directly above a bar. "I thought you said Ford stopped drinking."

"He did."

Lindsey just shook her head in disbelief. "Did I ever tell you that you and your team are really strange?"

Eliot playfully punched Lindsey in the arm as the three of them climbed into the elevator. It didn't take long for the doors to ding and slide open, and then it was just a matter of walking across the hallway to the apartment. This was done with ease, and Parker was the first to enter, followed by Eliot, then Lindsey. Instead of walking with her 'husband,' she decided to hang back and lean against the wall. It was Eliot's team, and it was him that they had thought was dead. She was just an extra variable in that equation. She wanted the whole team to have a true reunion without her there to interrupt.

Three pairs of eyes looked up as the door opened, and a look of shock crossed each one of their faces.

Sophie was the first to recover. "Eliot! Oh my god!" She jumped up from where she was sitting and engulfed the man in a huge hug, tears starting to fall from her cheeks. "I saw the building blow up and I thought…"

Then, she pulled away and slapped him clean across the face. Eliot stood there; jaw hanging open, wondering why she slapped him. "You should have called!"

Oh. That was a pretty good reason. Then, Hardison approached him, arms open wide. "Man, that was cruel. Not calling or anything."

Eliot narrowed his eyes. "I was a _little_ preoccupied!"

Hardison walked forward to hug the hitter. "Just hug it out, man."

Eliot tried to pull away at first, but eventually gave in, actually patting the hacker several times on the back before pulling away. Hardison stood there, starting to sniffle. "Look, you're making me cry!"

"Man up, Hardison." Eliot snapped, but he was grinning. Then, it was Nate's turn. The man walked up to the hitter slowly, his hands in his pockets. Eliot offered him his hand, and Nate took it hesitantly, shaking it. Then, he made up his mind, and pulled the shorter man into a brief hug. When they disconnected, they were all standing in a circle, facing inward toward each other. It was an awkward reunion, which was gratefully broken up by Lindsey, who figured that they had all had their time with Eliot, and that she wanted someone to notice she was in the room. She stepped forward, breaking the circle apart. She was surprised when Sophie threw her into a hug. "We were worried about you too, you know. You have no idea how much you mean to Eliot."

Lindsey smiled as she watched Eliot blush. Hardison laughed in the background. "Yeah girl, you should have seen how fast he ran out of here when he found out you were in trouble. It was epic."

Eliot growled, cautioning Hardison about the line he was about to step over. The hacker shrugged and raised his hands in defeat. Lindsey brought her left hand up in order to brush the hair out of her eyes, causing Sophie to see the ring on her finger. The grifter's eyes widened as she stared at the engagement ring, speechless. Then, the spell broken, a high-pitched squeal came out of the woman's mouth, and she brought her hands to her mouth. "He finally asked you, didn't he! You have to let me plan the wedding!"

Sophie started to make a verbal list of all the things that would need to be done for a wedding. Hardison just stared at the hitter like he was an alien. Parker giggled. "I can see it now, little Eliot's running around with fake pre-K documents."

Nate gave Eliot a strong look. He was happy for them, he really was. But he knew how dangerous Eliot's work was, and he was wondering if the man had thought it through, or just proposed out of relief of being alive. He would have to talk to the younger man later. Eliot saw this look, and a hard glint entered his eyes. They would be talking later, all right. And Eliot knew exactly what he would say.

Then, Lindsey coughed, bringing Sophie out of her wedding thoughts. "Uh…Sophie…"

Eliot's face adapted a look of horror as he realized what Lindsey was about to say. The hitter smartly didn't want to be the one to tell Sophie that they were already technically married, and that there would be no wedding. He took a step back, excusing himself to the kitchen. Nate noticed this and followed him.

"It's stupid." Nathan said once they were alone.

Eliot frowned. "You think I don't know that, Nate? Don't you _dare_ look at me like I'm some stupid kid."

The hitter took a possessive stance, crossing his arms across his chest angrily. Nate sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Do you want to put her through that?"

"Damn it, Nate! We're past that! I thought you would've noticed that when she showed up on the TV screens tied to a damn _chair!_" Eliot seethed. He pointed an accusative finger at the other man's chest. "And don't you lecture me. The woman you love is standing in the other room, right in your grasp, and you're too much of a _coward_ to do anything!"

A hurt look crossed Nate's face, and Eliot should have known to stop there, but he was too angry that Nate would question his decision to even think about stopping. "One day, she is going to get sick and tired of waiting for you, and she'll be gone. And when that day comes, I'm going to sit back and _laugh._"

The man stomped out of the room, grumbling to himself. Nate stood there, hands hanging limply by his sides, his eyes closed in anger. It wasn't Eliot's reaction that angered him. It was the fact that every single thing the hitter had said was true. Every single word.

Eliot re-entered the front room, where Sophie was listening to Lindsey as she told the grifter every single detail about his proposal. The two woman had moved to the couch, sitting down while telling the tale. Parker was sitting there as well, an amused look on her face. Hardison was trying to hard not to laugh as he listened in on the conversation. He saw Eliot enter the room. "Dude, _Lindsey _was the one who actually asked about marriage? Seriously?"

"Shut up Hardison." Eliot growled, no longer in the mood for jokes. He shot a look at Lindsey, her whole face falling as she recognized the look on the man's face. He was angry. "We're leaving."

Lindsey quickly nodded and bid her quick goodbyes before standing up and walking toward the door, Eliot already at the elevator.

"Remind Eliot to come in tomorrow!" Sophie called after the retreating couple. Even Parker had realized that something was wrong. Their thoughts were confirmed when Nate came out of the kitchen and went directly up the stairs, not saying a word. Sophie and Hardison exchanged a glance. That wasn't good.

**--Leverage--**

The ride home had been filled with a tense silence. Lindsey didn't say anything, instead resorted to staring out the windshield. However, once the door to Eliot's apartment had been closed securely behind them, she couldn't help herself. "What's wrong?"

Eliot blew out a huge breath and laced his fingers together before placing his hands on the top of his head. "I'm going down to the gym."

He disappeared into the small bedroom before returning with a gym bag in hand. He went to go out the door, but Lindsey stopped him. "Talk to me."

They locked eyes, Eliot's angry ones with Lindsey's concerned ones. Lindsey won.

"Nate's just pissed that I'm the one who gets a shot at a happy ending." The words were ironic, since both of them knew that neither of them would get a happy ending. Moments, yes, but not an ending. Lindsey understood this, and took a small step to the side, granting him access to the door. Eliot turned the knob, and disappeared through the doorway. However, he reappeared moments later. "How'd Sophie take it?"

Lindsey smiled. "What? Learning that we were already officially married? She promised to celebrate."

Eliot groaned and shut the door, leaving for real that time. Lindsey waited a few moments, and then cautiously opened the door. Satisfied that the hitter really was gone, she locked the door and took out a letter from her back pocket. It had no return address, and was written to Eliot Spencer. The seal had already been torn, Lindsey had read it. She had noticed the letter when she first entered the apartment. It was sitting on Eliot's bed when she went in, checking out her future living quarters. Something had made her take it, and she had read it when she had excused herself to the bathroom before they left for Nate's place.

_Spencer,_

_I had fun, hope you enjoyed the experience. I would have sent this through email, but I know how horrid you are with technology. Did you enjoy my dead man's trigger? I can honestly say that at first I wasn't going to give you a way out, but then your girlfriend said something quite interesting. She really was difficult to crack, by the way. She only gave me your number when I promised that no matter what happened, you would come out alive. And I noticed that it wasn't quite time for her to die yet. Or you, for that matter._

_Congratulations on the engagement, I hope you enjoy it while it lasts. Because it isn't over until the fat lady sings, and she hasn't even started to warm up._

Lindsey's hands shook as she read the cursed words written on the paper. 'shot at a happy ending.' He had relaxed slightly when he said those words, like he almost believed them. And Lindsey wanted to believe them too. The only thing standing in their way was that letter. So, she did the one thing that she deemed necessary. She ripped it.

She ripped it in half, and then in half again, and again, until all that was left were tiny, unreadable squares. Then, she took it a step further and turned on the faucet and placed the tiny pieces under the water, watching as they dissolved.

Lindsey turned off the faucet, made sure there was no evidence that the letter ever existed, and then headed back to Eliot's bathroom to take a shower before getting ready for bed. She hastily wiped the tears from her eyes as she walked. That night Lindsey promised herself one thing. The next time she saw that black-haired bitch would be the last.

* * *

**-tsk- Lindsey's a bad girl. And yes, the flashback was their first kiss. And it was based off Chris' song Whiskey in Mind. :-P**

**This will be it for Eliot/Lindsey for a while, so I hope it tides you over. If you have any ideas about a sequel, please let me know. Any questions, feel free to ask. Once again thank you so much, and a few more reviews would make my heart sing! -hint hint-**


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